Grate coolers with a cooler grate are known in various forms. For example, DE-AS 20 11 518 discloses a cooler grate construction in which the parts of the individual grate plates through which cooling air streams have ribs which project vertically upwards and define box-shaped troughs, in the bases of which are conical bores which extend vertically for the passage of cooling air.
In another known construction (DE-OS 38 12 425) also the individual grate plates are constructed with troughs open towards the upper face of the supporting surfaces to receive material to be cooled, and here too the cooling gas holes open into the trough region. Moreover, at least some of the cooler grate plates can be constructed with hollow ribs running in the conveying direction for conducting the cooling gas, and the cooling gas holes can be provided in these longitudinally extending hollow ribs.
In the known constructions described above, particularly the constructions of the grate plates belonging to the grate cooler or the cooler grate, it proves difficult to meet some essential requirements all together on such grate plates. For example a favourable production possibility should be guaranteed but it should also be possible to ensure that at the same time an optimum gas distribution is achieved, as well as sufficient cooling of the sections of the supporting surfaces of the grate plate which come into contact with the hot material and also above all an intensive cooling of the material which is transported away over the cooler grate.
The object of the invention, therefore, is to create a cooler grate in which the requirements elucidated above (particularly in the region of the grate plates) can be met all together in a particularly favourable manner.